Gunmen Kill Two Christian Sisters In Iraq's Mosul

MOSUL (Reuters) -- Gunmen have killed two Christian sisters and wounded their mother in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul, which has seen thousands of Christians flee their homes because of violence in recent weeks, police said.

Some 2,000 families, an estimated 12,000 people, fled Mosul after a campaign of threats and attacks against the Christian community last month, although many have since returned home, the United Nations refugee agency says.

In the latest incident, gunmen killed one woman outside her home, then stormed the house, killing her sister and wounding their mother.

They planted a bomb in the house before leaving the scene, a police officer said. Three policemen were wounded by the bomb, which exploded when they arrived at the scene, police added.

Mosul is one of the most religiously diverse cities in Iraq, with large communities of Christians and other religious minorities. A large Kurdish minority there competes with Arabs for political control.